Reduction-gearing.



J. H. MACALPINE.

REDUCTION GEABING. I APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a, 1910. 1,026,629,Patented May 14, 1912.

' m VENTOR.

gNES S: I Q I Q Q WM ms ATTORNEY IN FACT.

JOHN H. MAOALPINE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

REDUGTION-GEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Application filed September 8, 1910. Serial No. 580,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MACALPINE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Reduction-Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to change speed gearing and has for its object toprovide means whereby any desired ratio between driving and drivenelements may be eflected.

A change speed unit generally consists of a pinion and a gear, or a setof pinions and a set of gears; one of these impart-mg motion to theother, as for example, the reduction gearing illustrated in the UnitedStates Patent No. 946,455 granted to George W. Melville and myselfJanuary 11th, 1910. With such a gearing, the best results are obtainedwith ratios lying between certain numerical values of reduction and itis not considered good engineering to have too great a ratio between thediameters of pinion and gear.

I propose to accomplish changes in speed by combining a plurality ofchange speed units, as for example, two sets of gears and pinions. Thus,the proper proportion of gears and pinions in each set may bemaintained, and any reduction may be accomplished by multiplying thenumber of reduction units (herein shown as consisting each of a pinionand a gear).

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of two change speed gear unitscoupled together. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;and Fig. 3 is a-detailed view of a floating frame in a gear carriedthereby.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, 20 indicates apair of pinions mounted on a shaft 21 journaled in bearings 22 carriedin the floating frame 23. The floating frame is mounted upon two I-beams 24:. The I-beams 24 are secured to the bed plate 25 in anysuitable manner. A pair of gears 28 is carried by a suitable element 29which is journaled in bearings 30. The gears 28 mesh with the pinions 20and the carrying member of the gears is adapted to deliver power throughany suitable coupling to the apparatus to be driven. The bearing member21 of the pinions is connected to another reduction unit (here shown asbeing approximately of the construction illustrated in Patent No.946,456 granted to George W. Melville and myself January 11th, 1910)through a flexible coupling 31 on the flexible shaft 31 carried by theshaft 21 to a shaft or gear carrying member 32 journaled in suitablebearings 33 in a frame 34 mounted on a pin 35. The member 32 is providedwith gears 36, which mesh with pinions 37 on a shaft 38 in bearings 39in the support 40. The shaft 38 may be connected to the driving element,as for example, the turbine; the power being communicated through thepinions 37, gears 36 and shaft 32 to the shaft 21, the

pinions 20' .will communicate motion to the gears 28 causing the shaft29 to rotate and thereby impart motion to the driven element.

It will be observed by reference to- Fig.

1 that the unit consisting of the pinions 37 and gears 36, together withtheir appurtenances, are somewhat smaller than the unit including thepinions 20 and the gears 28. This is the result of good engineering, and

while it has its advantages, it is not abso lutely essential that therebe a difference between relative sizes of two units. It will also beobserved by reference to Fig. 1 that the floating frame, forming a partof one of the units, may have angular motion independent of the floatingframe of the other unit; this being possible on account of the flexiblecoupling 31 and flexible shaft 31". Attention is also directed to thefact that the shaft 38 will be the high speed shaft; and that dependentupon the differences in the diameters between the pinions and the gears,the shaft 32 will assume a proportionately slower rate of revolution andthat the same speed will be imparted to the shaft 21. The shaft 21 willpartake of the slow speed of the first unit, and will impart aproportionately slower speed to the gears 28, and consequently to theshaft 29. If it is desired to have a still lower rate of speed for thedriven element. another reduction gear unit may be coupled tothe shaft29 to be interposed between the driving element and the driven element.Inasmuch as the specific construction of the mounting details plays noimport-ant part inthis application, I have deemed it unnecessary to gointo a detailed description thereof; it being understood that theinvention here consists in combining a plurality of reduction gear unitsso as to take care of wide variatiiins in speed changes and still maintain the proper relative proportions between the high speed element andthe low speed element of the unit.

Havin thus described my invention, what I c aim is:

1; The combination of two gear-carrying shafts, frames supporting saidshafts, yielding supports for said frames and a coupling connecting saidshafts.

2.1Thecombination of two gear-carrying shafts, frames carrying saidshafts, yielding means supporting said frames and a flexible couplingconnecting said shafts.

3. The combination of a plurality of change speed units, each unitconsisting of two shafts having inter-meshing gears and one shaft ofeach unit being mounted in bearings capable of permitting the gears onthe shaft to have angularmovement with respect to the gears with whichthey mesh, and a coupling for connecting the shafts having such angularmovement together.

4. The combination of twochange speed units, each of which is providedwith gear driving shafts mounted in yielding bearings and means forconnecting said shafts together.

5. The combination of two gear carrying shafts mounted in yieldingbearings and a coupling connecting said shafts.

6. The combination of two gear carrying shafts mounted in yieldingbearings and a flexible coupling connecting said shafts.

,7. In combination, two reduction gear units, each of which is providedwith a gear-carrying shaft, a frame supporting each of said shafts,means for yieldingly mounting each of said frames and a flexiblecoupling for connecting said shafts together.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day ofSeptember, 1910.

' JOHN H. MAO'ALPINE. Witnesses:

C. W. MOGHEE, B. F. FUNK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, D. C.

